Countdown to Amicalola: January 10, 2015

It's Springer Saturday! Every Saturday until we start our hike will have a picture from Springer Mountain. Here's the first blaze, and a plaque.

Date: January 10, 2015
Current Week: 01/05/15 - 01/13/15
Days until Amicalola: 77
Pounds to next weight goal: 12.0
Weight Goals Met: 0
Minutes Exercised, Yesterday: 10
Minutes Exercised, Week: 70
Miles Hiked, Yesterday: 0
Miles Hiked, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, 2015: 0

The good news is that I did keep up the streak of days of exercise. The bad news is that I was stagnant on the weight front for the second straight day. However, that is actually marginally good news when you factor in working late, and the pizza and junk that entails. I didn't go overboard, and I did avoid the dreaded late night snack, which would have certainly wrecked things for me.

Countdown to Amicalola: January 9, 2015

This is not on the Appalachian Trail, but it's a cool picture with snow in it. From Sequoia National Park.

Date: January 9, 2015
Current Week: 01/05/15 - 01/13/15
Days until Amicalola: 78
Pounds to next weight goal: 12.0
Weight Goals Met: 0
Minutes Exercised, Yesterday: 30
Minutes Exercised, Week: 60
Miles Hiked, Yesterday: 0
Miles Hiked, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, 2015: 0

My weight was unchanged this morning from yesterday, which marked the first time in three mornings that it didn't go down. However, this isn't too troublesome, as day to day fluctuations are bound to happen. As long as I end this period down from the first weigh in, I will consider it an incremental step towards where I am going.

Countdown to Amicalola: January 8, 2015

Looking Southbound along the AT across Newfound Gap Road (US 441) at Newfound Gap

Date: January 8, 2015
Current Week: 01/05/15 - 01/13/15
Days until Amicalola: 79
Pounds to next weight goal: 12.0
Weight Goals Met: 0
Minutes Exercised, Yesterday: 20
Minutes Exercised, Week: 30
Miles Hiked, Yesterday: 0
Miles Hiked, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, 2015: 0

For the second straight day I increased my daily amount of exercise, this time by braving the cold for a ten minute walk, and doing ten minutes of various exercises in my apartment. Once again, this appeared to pay off, as this is the third straight day I marked a net loss of weight. This is primarily a function of keeping myself from turning into a Gremlin* and the increased exercise. The third component, eating well, is something that I'm "easing" myself into. This is in large part because I was away for over two weeks, and I don't have groceries. I've yet to brave the cold to go to a grocery store to change that, but I'm hoping to get there sometime before next Monday.

Countdown to Amicalola: Brrrr, it's Cold Out!

Snow covered landscape of Cade's Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Date: January 7, 2015
Current Week: 01/05/15 - 01/13/15
Days until Amicalola: 80
Pounds to next weight goal: 14.0
Weight Goals Met: 0
Minutes Exercised, Yesterday: 10
Minutes Exercised, Week: 10
Miles Hiked, Yesterday: 0
Miles Hiked, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, 2015: 0

Since this is a daily journal, there is a chance that some posts will be rather short. For example, today's. Nothing much to say, other than I did get some exercise in, got a decent night of sleep, and kept a slow yet steady pace downward to my next weight goal. All of this while the temperature and wind chill are both really nasty. I'm kind of missing the relatively mild weather of December right now. Heck, I'd take the unseasonably cold November over this.

Countdown to Amicalola, January 6, 2015

Each day will have a picture from hikes and adventures past and present. Today is a frozen Lake Michigan, taken by Amy last March. 

Date: January 6, 2015
Current Week: 01/05/15 - 01/13/15
Days until Amicalola: 81
Pounds to next weight goal: 14.8
Minutes Exercised, Yesterday: 0
Minutes Exercised, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, Yesterday: 0
Miles Hiked, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, 2015: 0

Yesterday was not a good day for exercise. I didn't have a chance in the morning because I was up before 5:00 to drive back from my holiday break downstate. The evening was spent at the movies. In between, the customary time I spend taking walks at work did not happen, because it is cold outside. Technically, I did get some exercise by walking down six flights of stairs to lunch, and did walk ~10 minutes to and from dinner.

Countdown to Amicalola: 82 Days To Go!

Date: January 5, 2015
Current Week: 01/05/15 - 01/13/15
Days until Amicalola: 82
Pounds to next weight goal: 16.2
Minutes Exercised, Yesterday: 0
Minutes Exercised, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, Yesterday: 0
Miles Hiked, Week: 0
Miles Hiked, 2015: 0

So it's 2015, the year of the Appalachian Trail hike. As such, it's time to dig in and focus on getting ready for the "Big Walk". As you few readers are well aware, my AT Hiking Training Plan posts tailed off after we did our shakedown hike last November. Part of this was a busy work schedule, but part of it was a lack of progress. Work, weather, and the holidays conspired to limit my ability to do much besides some walking at Forest Glen and in the parking garage at work.

AT's AT Hiking Training Plan, Weeks Thirty, Thirty-One, and Thirty-Two

Weeks: October 20 - November 11 (22 Days)
Miles Hiked (Total Period): 20.25
Miles Hiked (October): 5.25
Miles Hiked (November): 15.00
Miked Hiked (October Goal): 30
Miked Hiked (November Goal): 30

Miles Hiked (Yearly Total): 188.20

Pounds Lost: 0.2
Percentage to Next Milestone: 46%
Pounds Lost (Total):  19.8
Weekly Goal Met: No
Nights Camped (Weeks): 1
Nights Camped (Total): 6
Nights Camped (Backpacking): 1

Honestly, I swear this isn't turning into a "every three weeks" kind of thing. That's how it has worked out the past two times, I know, but I have every intention to be back next week. Hopefully with a better weight loss total than a scant 0.2 pounds. I suppose a small loss is better than no loss (or a gain).

However, the big story of these three weeks isn't the weight loss, but rather the shakedown hike Erin and I did out at Forest Glen. For the first (and almost surely last) time this year I camped outdoors using only what I could carry on my back. Personally I think it went pretty well, despite the fact that I'm still sore in places from the hike. I was able to prove that I could go multiple miles in one hike with the pack on my back. I had trouble sleeping, but it wasn't because I was too cold. My bag, liner, and marmot vest kept me plenty warm overnight. All in all I'm still a bit too tentative going down hills (particularly hills with slick leaves and slick clay mud), but I'm feeling better about my ability to endure the awfulness of those first weeks on the trail next Spring.

The big shakedown hike took up over half of my total hiking for the period. The rest was split between a few places. The biggest hike of note was at Marengo Ridge, where I completed the full hike from my hiking book now that the snow and ice were gone. I was happy that every hill on that trail, plus the 100 or so steps at Apple River Canyon that I hiked later in the day, were done without stopping until the top.

A cold front has settled in across the United States, and things feel like winter here in northern Illinois. We haven't had any appreciable snow yet, so there's still some time for hiking that doesn't involve being prepared for the white stuff. This weekend looks like it will be cold, but at least without too much of a chance for precipitation. Hopefully I'll be able to wipe out the other 15 miles in my monthly goal, and actually hit that monthly goal for once.